Maria Bocanegra Tejeda awakens as the rising sun lights her room. Her room. In the house her family owns. That fact is still capable of surprising her, so far removed it is from her cousins’ crowded trailer in the crowded mobile home park where she spent nearly half of her 22 years. The night before, […]
2020 census
Posted inGrowth, News, Outsider
Colorado mountain towns feel more crowded than ever. But census data shows the population has barely changed.
Mick Ireland knows Pitkin County’s streets. The former Aspen mayor and 30-year politico has knocked on thousands of his neighbors’ doors over the years, promoting candidates and ballot issues as well as helping to register voters. So when the 2020 census report showed entire blocks in Pitkin County — not city blocks but the small […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
The latest draft of Colorado’s congressional map would create a whole new dynamic in the state
The dozen members of Colorado’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission questioned nonpartisan staff Monday about the latest draft map of the state’s U.S. House districts as they prepare to hear from the public about the plan this week. The map, introduced Friday based on 2020 census data and which has thrown Colorado’s political world into a […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
The latest draft of Colorado’s congressional map draws Lauren Boebert and Joe Neguse into the same district
Nerd alert: The new congressional map has dropped: click here to take a look. One big takeaway: A reconfigured 2nd Congressional District would favor Democrats and be home to two incumbents, Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, of Lafayette, and Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Garfield County. We’ll follow up on Tuesday after the holiday […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Here are the themes from meetings across Colorado on the state’s new congressional, legislative maps
East versus west versus south. Rural versus urban. County versus county. In more than 100 hours of public testimony during July and August, the two independent commissions redrawing Colorado’s congressional and legislative maps heard plenty about perceived differences among various communities. They also heard why certain cities and counties shouldn’t be split among multiple districts. […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Remapping 2021 | Big decisions still left on the next round of Colorado’s congressional map
The first version of Colorado’s new congressional map using 2020 census data is set to be released as early as Friday, and the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission has plenty of input to consider after holding 36 public hearings around the state. Commissioners are expected to discuss major priorities for the map at a meeting […]
Posted inHousing, News
How bad is the housing crunch in Colorado’s high country? Just look at census vacancy data.
By most accounts, the housing market in Colorado mountain communities has never been tighter. People have flocked to mountain towns during coronavirus, even as many resorts shut down. Seasonal workers are being forced to move to different communities because they can’t afford rent, causing labor shortages for local businesses. And yet, several high country communities […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Redistricting commissions diverge on prison gerrymandering, and the 3rd Congressional District revisited
Colorado’s two independent redistricting commissions diverged this week over a policy to change how people living in state prisons are counted in the mapmaking process, with those against the change citing the commissions’ independence from partisan politics. The commissions were considering whether to implement a law passed by Democratic state lawmakers in 2020, House Bill […]
Posted inNews
Colorado’s population grew at twice the national rate between 2010 and 2020. Here’s where the boom was biggest.
Colorado’s population grew at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the nation between 2010 and 2020, putting it among the fastest-growing states, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday. While the nation’s population grew only 7.4% over that period, Colorado saw nearly 15% growth. But the growth was unevenly distributed, with urban centers continuing […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Latinos want Colorado’s new congressional and legislative maps to give them influence reflecting their growing numbers
Latino leaders are worried that Colorado’s once-in-a-decade redistricting process will continue to give them the short shrift at the state Capitol and in Congress, even as their community’s share of the population grows to nearly a quarter. The current class of elected state lawmakers includes the largest number of Latino lawmakers in the General Assembly’s […]